More Diversions

There seems to be an unlimited number of activities in Grenada to occupy one's time while waiting for hurricane season to end. One of the more intriguing activities was the Out of Africa wine tasting party at the home of the Consul General of Germany's house high in the hills overlooking St. George's.

As usual, Cutty picked up a group of us at Prickly Bay Marina for the circuitous drive up the backroads of St. George's to a beautiful house perched on the hillside. Margit Bluebeard (don't think there is any pirate connection here) meet us and escorted us up to the veranda overlooking the bay. Margit is the director of South African Wines in Grenada and hosts the wine tasting parties every two to three weeks.

A eclectic group of us, including two professors from the local university, a former police officer, the daughter of the mechanic for the Hell's Angels, and assorted cruisers sat in comfortable chairs as Margit brought out the first wine, a Namaqua Blanc de Blanc, and poured a glass for each participant. I wish I were more of a wine aficionado so I could wax eloquently about the guava fruitiness on the nose of the wine, but it tasted good to me. The big attraction of the evening, outside of the excellent wines, was the stunning sunset overlooking the Caribbean Sea.

As more wines were brought out, and more glasses poured, the conversation got louder and more interesting. We finished the evening with a Tribal Spear Cabernet Sauvignon 2011, which tasted very good -- especially after six glasses of the other wines. The walk down the steep stairs was a challenge for some, but a great evening all in all.

When we returned to Prickly Bay Marina, another classic Grenada event was in full swing, Bingo Night. The parking lot was packed and over 200 people, mainly locals, partied and listened for the lucky B49 to complete their Bingo card.

Daren calls out the bingo numbers to a packed crowd.

Locals love this event, especially with the chance to win big money and maybe even a cow or truck.

Grand Prize for the eventing. Not sure if you have to share the beer with your friends.

"What do you mean I've been invited to dinner?"

The big draw this evening, outside of the normal $1000 cash prizes, the pig, and goat, and the cow, was a Hilux pickup truck loaded with 20 cases of Carib beer.

We didn't stay until the end, but someone was a happy camper when the evening ended. And someone else had to figure out how to get a cow in his car for the drive home.